A number of environmental problems threaten La Segua wetland ecosystem, including the use of toxic fertilizers, dam construction, bird hunting and dumping of solid waste. Since 1993 an integrative participatory management process has aimed to conserve the environmental integrity and functioning of La Segua wetland in order to maintain its production of goods and services.

Project Description

Active management of La Segua wetland has been in place for more than ten years; this has resulted in, among other things, its declaration as a Ramsar site. An initial attempt was made to identify conflicts in the area, as well as possible solutions. This resulted in the development of a conceptual framework for the management plan, its adoption and its implementation. In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, IUCN and Fundacion Natura (a local NGO), the La Segua management Plan has developed different programmes to improve agricultural practices, develop ecotourism and initiate an environmental education program. The process involved three phases: issues diagnosis, management plan development and local adoption. These steps have been successfully accomplished and a legal committee representing local users has been established.

Highlighted Aspects of Ecosystem Approach

· Conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing were simultaneously addressed. · Functional relationships and processes are fully understood. La Segua wetland is one of Ecuador ’s most well known ecosystems.· Goods and services provided by La Segua were recognized as being fishery and food resources, ecotourism (bird watching), agricultural services, cattle forage, and honey production. Benefit sharing of these goods is addressed in the management plan. The beneficiaries of these goods and services are the local fishermen and farmers, as well as local communities.· Adaptive management is one of the attributes of the La Segua management process. · Management was most frequently applied at the local level. Regional-and/or national-level management was also applied in the decision-making process when appropriate. · Full use was made of inter-sectoral linkages. The level of intervention, and the organization involved, depended on the issue and its scale. For instance, some management plan policies need intervention at the central government level but also require the collaboration of local-level organizations and NGOs if they are to be successful.

Conclusions

· Participatory management was the basis of the project · Low-level but ongoing economic investment is required during the entire planning process. · Local users of natural resources are willing to collaborate in conserving their environment if economic benefits, property rights and access to land are not diminished. · The La Segua Management Plan is a good strategy for local participation and coordination.

3. Sectors and Biomes

Sectors

Biomes

Inland Waters Biodiversity

4. Tools and Approaches

Tools and Approaches

RelevanceScore

FurtherInformation

Public Participation

3-High

- Community based methods

3-High

Education and Awareness

3-High

- Education

3-High

Management and Incentives

3-High

- Adaptive management

3-High

Cross-sectoral Research and Working

3-High

5. Issues

Issues

RelevanceScore

Sustainable Use of Biodiversity

3-High

Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Practices - Article 8(j)

3-High

6. Ecosystem Approach

Principles and Operational Guidance

RelevanceScore

Reason(Only if NOT relevant)

Principle 1: The objectives of management of land, water and living resources are a matter of societal choices

3-High

Principle 2: Management should be decentralized to the lowest appropriate level

3-High

Principle 3: Ecosystem managers should consider the effects (actual or potential) of their activities on adjacent and other ecosystems

3-High

Principle 4: Recognizing potential gains from management, there is usually a need to understand and manage the ecosystem in an economic context

3-High

Principle 8: Recognizing the varying temporal scales and lag-effects that characterize ecosystem processes, objectives for ecosystem management should be set for the long term

3-High

Principle 10: The ecosystem approach should seek the appropriate balance between, and integration of, conservation and use of biological diversity

3-High

Principle 12: The ecosystem approach should involve all relevant sectors of society and scientific disciplines

3-High

Operational Guidance A: Focus on the relationships and processes within ecosystem

3-High

Operational Guidance B: Enhance benefit-sharing

3-High

Operational Guidance C: Use adaptive management practices

3-High

Operational Guidance D: Carry out management actions at the scale appropriate for the issue being addressed, with decentralization to lowest level, as appropriate

3-High

Operational Guidance E: Ensure intersectoral cooperation

3-High

7. Lessons Learned and the Outcomes

Lessons Learned

· Participatory management was the basis for this application of the Ecosystem Approach· Low but continuous economic investment is required during the whole planning process.· Local users of natural resources are willing to collaborate in conserving their environment if economic benefits, property rights and access to land are not diminished or affected.· The La Segua Management Plan is a good strategy for local participation and co-ordination.